


Burst of Beautiful

by ThatScottishShipper



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Belly Rubs, Body Image, Body Positivity, Chubby Shiro (Voltron), Established Relationship, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Romantic Fluff, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Love, Weight Gain, dont post to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:41:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21925372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: After the end of the war, enjoying his life with his boyfriend, Shiro realises he has begun to gain weight and gets anxious. His worries are swiftly put to rest with doting boyfriend Keith on the job.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 84





	Burst of Beautiful

Shiro sighed, lost in his own reflection in the bedroom mirror.

No matter how often he observed himself, no matter how much he smoothed down his black tank top, Shiro was greeted with the steady change that crept up upon him since the war ended.

Relaxed in a blissfully happy future with Keith, Shiro had began to slowly gain weight. Everything felt soft, from his jawline to his dimpled cheeks. His body sculpted with muscle curved in every angle, something he had not seen in his image since he was a child.

But his eyes always fell onto the most undeniable transformation - his stomach, snug beneath his clothing, almost obscured the sight of his feet.

_ ‘There’s no beating around the bush,’  _ Shiro thought, patting his round middle.  _ ‘That’s a belly right there. I’ve… gotten bigger.’ _

The Captain rubbed his thick forearm, the thin vest clinging to the soft swell underneath. With one pat, his belly jiggled slightly, and Shiro bit his lip.

_ ‘Wow. I really let myself go.’ _

That surprise then turned to worry.

He felt like he had departed from the Shiro of old, no longer fighting against his once fatigued muscles, and bench pressing throughout the night when sleep abandoned him.

A dark cloud brewed inside his mind, as he placed a hand upon his pillowy stomach.  _ ‘Would Keith still want me like this?’ _

Slender arms embraced him from behind, and he knew right away who they belonged to. Nevertheless, he tensed, still obsessing over his reflection, and the warm eyes peering from behind his shoulder.

Keith had woken up. His stomach roiled uncomfortably.

_ ‘Keith…’ _

Perceptive as always, Keith resting his cheek against Shiro’s plump one, encouraging his boyfriend to open up to him. His voice was gentle coax into Shiro’s anxious heart, something Shiro could never resist.

“Something on your mind, Shiro?”

Frowning at himself, Shiro’s stare returned to the stranger in the mirror. He scoffed, answering with weary bemusement. “Nothing serious, just… checking out the pounds I’m packing these days.”

Shiro huffed at himself, knowing there was no way Keith couldn’t have seen the same reflection he did.

Suddenly, a smooth hand came to rest upon Shiro’s hip, dipping ever so softly beneath the band of his leggings. His heart melted when Keith caressed his side, tenderly stroking his fingers along the faint silver stretch marks.

“So you’re carrying a little extra,” Keith said sweetly, admiring the sight of his full Captain in the mirror. “You think that’s going to change how much I love you? You’re _gorgeous_ , Shiro.”

_ Oh _ . Shiro’s heart thumped inside his chest, his knees weakening from the affection filling him up.

“Besides, you’ve been so comfortable since the fighting stopped. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you, a life with  _ me _ .” Keith’s adoring gaze twinkled, his hand cupping Shiro’s cheek. “Someone who loves you, and loves seeing you relaxed and happy.”

“Keith…” Shiro nuzzled against Keith’s hand, falling for this perfect man all over again. “Thank you. I don’t…”

“Hey.” Keith’s finger pressed against Shiro’s lips, silencing him. “You  _ do _ . You  _ do _ deserve to happy, you goof.” He replaced the lingering touch with his lips in a small, sweet kiss. “My  _ goof _ .”

By this point, Shiro cracked out in a big grin, framed by his round face. “ _ Yours _ .”

“ _ My _ Space Ace. And Shiro?” Slowly, Keith let his hand draw lazy little circles on his boyfriend’s soft stomach. “You look  _ great _ .”

With one last peck, Keith gave Shiro a playful smile, then made his way to the door. “Coming to breakfast, baby?”

Shiro shot him a dopey smile before looking back in the mirror. “Be right behind you, Starlight.”

As Keith departed to the kitchen, Shiro felt his chest swell with validation. He stood before the mirror, head held high. A deep breath centred him, and he enjoyed the moment.

A metal hand drifted towards his front once more, giving his belly a small squeeze. He smiled at the Shiro in the mirror, at  _ himself _ , growing appreciation dawning there.

Shiro finally strode out with purpose, to enjoy the day that came, and that he was coming to see the Shiro Keith saw and loved.

And the feeling, like life, felt pretty good.

**Author's Note:**

> Shiro deserves all the love, and hugs in the universe. 🖤
> 
> This is a story I’ve wanted to write for sometime, and i wanted to share it now for anyone struggling with body image issues. Sadly, there’s been a lot of negativity in this area, even in the Voltron fandom, with the portrayal of those of us on the bigger side, so I wanted to share my own message.
> 
> You are beautiful. You are worthy of love, and shouldn’t be made to feel sad or undervalued.
> 
> You are not a negative experience. You are a positive burst of beautiful.
> 
> Seeing negativity about #ChubbyShiro bummed out a few people, so I wanted to spread a little positivity and love.
> 
> The title came from a lovely quote online - Every Piece Of You Is A Burst Of Beautiful, which is a really nice positivity message.
> 
> Another lovely inspiration hit came in the form of a VLD Comic by doxmto, who created sweet feel good art of Shiro learning to love himself. 🖤❤️
> 
> Comic here: https://twitter.com/domxto/status/1046531916239982592?s=21
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. 🖤❤️


End file.
